It's A FAKE World
by Totally4Ryo
Summary: The 27th Sector is an elite division of Torchwood NY commanded by Dee Laytner and his Second, Ryo MacLean. This is the story of the main squad of the 27th Sector, and a love story of Dee and Ryo.
1. Chapter 1

Title: It's A FAKE World  
Author: Totally4Ryo  
Word Count: 4696  
Rating: PG-13 for language (for now - we'll see where the muses take it)  
Disclaimer: FAKE belongs to Sanami Matoh. I'm just borrowing them and only having fun. Torchwood belongs to "He Who Shall Not Be Named" and the BBC.  
Characters/Pairings: Dee Laytner/Ryo MacLean, Bikky Goldman (MacLean), Drake Parker, J.J. Adams, Ted (Montgomery), Marty (Martinson), Warren Smith, Berkeley Rose  
Summary: The 27th Sector is an elite division of Torchwood NY commanded by Dee Laytner and his Second, Ryo MacLean. This is the story of the main squad of the 27th Sector, and a love story of Dee and Ryo.  
Beta by: Milady Dragon  
Notes: This is a FAKE story set in my Two Worlds verse, but instead of set in Cardiff, it's set in New York City and focuses on Torchwood NY and the characters from FAKE. Torchwood characters are mentioned only as well as concepts unique to Torchwood and Doctor Who. FAKE characters, Torchwood (the Institution) and New York City all have been tweaked to fit this universe.  
Dee and Ryo have been together for 4 years. For reference in the Two Worlds 'verse, this is set 3 years after "Two Worlds, One Love" (meaning 2 years before "Two Worlds, One Crime").  
Additional Notes: Technically this is my first completely AU fan fiction (the other Two Worlds fics don't count because the normal Torchwood world was included).  
I hope someone likes this! *cross fingers*

Honorable mention: This is for **badly_knitted** and **awieatti** for getting me back in the FAKE mood, which lead me to Sanami Matoh's website and even though I've seen it before, the cover for FAKE Second #3 sparked the inspiration for this.

Director Dee Laytner ran down the tree-lined city block, past the brownstone rowhouses in pursuit. He put more speed in his run trying to close the gap and let out a muttered curse when the creature turned the corner long before Dee would reach it.

"The bastard just turned north onto Columbus from 85th Street," he spoke into his comm device., activating it by touching the earpiece which had a coiled wire connected to it and going to the small pack attached to the front of the copper colored leather utility belt. The belt had other packs and pouches as well as his holster; inside the holster was a brass gun that shot tranquilizer pellets.

The belt sagged lower on his left side and was over his own black leather snakeskin and brass eyelet belt that was part of the ensemble he currently wore. He wore black leather trousers with silver lacings up the side and silver buttons in the front. A different textured leather panel ran under the lacings. His trousers were tucked into sturdy, no-nonsense black leather boots with copper buckles on the outer ankles. They had proven to be both durable and comfortable whenever he found himself in pursuit or in battle.

He wore a cream-colored diamond patterned shirt under a dark blue brocade waistcoat that clasped close on his right side with black leather trimming. His long black overcoat was wool with embossed wide black leather trimming. The coat shoulders and upper front and back panels as well as the collar panels and cuffs were the same black leather. It billowed out behind him as he ran making him appear heroic and always reminded him of Ianto and Jack with their trademark coats. The coat was a Rift Day gift after he was named the Director of the 27th Sector. Jack had said at the time that anyone in his position should have a coat like that, but they were never able to convince Director Warren Smith, Dee's predecessor, of that and that it was time to amend it. Since then it was Dee's working coat, always wearing it when the weather dictated outer wear while on duty and sometimes when the weather made him look quite mad wearing it but he realized it always help command attention. "Anyone in the area to intercept it?"

"I see it," Jemmy "J.J." Adams replied through the comm unit's open squad channel.

"Can you intercept?" Dee asked coming near the corner.

"I'm not sure I want to," came the reply. "What the heck is that?" J.J. near squeaked.

"Later J.J.," Dee replied. He reached the corner and stared down the street. It wasn't hard to locate it with pedestrians screaming as they moved out of the way of the creature. It had knocked down several people but thankfully it seemed more intent in escape than harming anyone. "Whatever you do, I want to bring this back alive."

"If you insist, Dee," J.J. snorted.

As Dee started to run up along Columbus Avenue, past all the swank cafes and clubs in Victorian and Gothic style buildings, he noticed J.J. crossing 86th Street in his direction. The creature was nearing J.J. Dee thought they would be able to apprehend it and bring it back to the 27th but before J.J. had a chance to reach it, the creature started to run into the street on Columbus. It knocked over a street vendor cart causing fresh vegetables to spill all over the place and the Italian woman who owned it to start cursing after she let out a blood curdling scream.

Dee cursed again as he altered his direction to run into the street, yelling out an apology to the women. People on the sidewalks stopped as the strange creature ran past them, eliciting loud gasps, screams and cursing.

"Dee, I'm coming up behind you, turning onto Columbus," Randy 'Ryo' MacLean, Dee's partner and lover, said over the comm channel.

"Ryo, we have some downed people and a destroyed street vendor. Give them a hand. I'll let you know if J.J. and I need help. Drake, where the fuck are you with the van?" he demanded over the channel.

"I'm on Columbus now, approaching 80th," Drake Parker replied. He was driving the steam carriage that sat 2 and had a large cargo space in the back and was the basic vehicle assigned to their squad for retrieval missions.

"Dee, I'm approaching your location overhead," Ted Montgomery's voice informed them.

"Great," Dee replied, starting to feel the run he put in so far. He gulped in a deep breath of air and continued to run.

The creature ran up in the middle of the street, ducking horse-drawn carriages and steam-powered vehicles. The creature ran past one of the horses and snarled at it, causing the horse to buck up and go wild. The horse started to run in a wayward course, running into another horse, causing that one to go wild, before it ran into a steam carriage. Both the horse and the carriage it pulled to fell over. The second horse caused a chain reaction, creating crashes down the street.

"Shit," Ryo's voice came over the comm just as Dee faltered as he watched the mess happening in the street near him. "What the hell is happening there?"

"A fuckin' mess, that's what," Dee replied. "Ryo, you need to get over here as soon as you can."

"Dee, I'll look after things here. Just get that beast."

"Roger. Work with the local police on this. I'll call in another team to help out since technically this is our mess," Dee said as he watched the creature turn right on 86th Street. J.J. turned right after the creature.

"Careful!" Ryo warned as Dee barely avoided getting run down by another stray horse and headed onto the sidewalk nearing the corner. He heard more screams from pedestrians on the normally quiet tree lined street of Victorian and Baroque style homes.

"I'm fine. Ted, get in the vicinity of the park," Dee stated. "If it gets in the park we have a greater chance of losing it and we'll need your vision from up there."

"How about you and J.J. down the beastie before then?" Ted replied.

"We're trying," J.J. replied. "And we better do it soon because I don't know how much further I can keep running."

"I hear that," Dee remarked as he started to run down the street, seeing J.J. not far ahead of him and the creature in a boiler suit not far ahead of the smaller man. He pushed himself to run faster, hoping the team would be able to act without communication from him because running and speaking was now too hard to do at the same time.

J.J. had also pushed himself and started to close the distance between him and the creature.

The race ended when the creature decided to run down the stairs to a servant's entrance of a moderate size Victorian mansion and found itself trapped as J.J. was finally able to get aim and shoot it with the tranquilizer pellet.

Dee ran up right behind J.J. and they went down the steps toward the fallen creature. Dee already had the cuffs out that were shipped to them from the home office when the current infestation of the aliens had started in New York City weeks ago. He secured the creature as J.J. covered it with his gun. Once assured they would be able to handle it, both J.J. and Dee leaned against the stone wall.

"Guys, we have it. Drake, can you get over 32 W. 86th?" Dee asked out of breath. "Ted, you can head back to Columbus to give a hand, and have Clean-up response send over a squad in the vicinity. Have them report to Ryo."

"Meaning I'm stuck here for a while," Ryo's voice broke in.

"Sorry babe, but one of us should be here."

"And you have the Weevil, and I'm best with dealing with the local coppers, even if you are the one with the history with the NYPD," Ryo replied.

"See?" Dee replied. "You know what you're doing. I'll see you later, Ryo." He turned his attention to J.J. "C'mon and let's haul this thing to street level."

"Sure, but after that, Drake is doing the rest of the hauling," J.J. replied.

Dee placed a sympathetic hand on the shoulder of the smaller man. "That's what I'm saying," he replied with a grin and then bent down to get a hold of the alien creature.

OoOoOoO

The Torchwood NY complex was located on the river side of 12th Avenue between W. 21st and W. 24th Streets, along with the transportation pool across 12th Avenue taking up the full block up to 11th Avenue between W. 24th and W. 26th Streets. The transportation pool had a lot with several steam-driven vehicles of various sizes including a few buses, all with the Torchwood logo on them. There was the maintenance building for their ground vehicles, including the horse-drawn carriages and stables for the horses. There was a large building along 12th Avenue that was equal to 40 stories with three twisted spires which housed their airship facility. Each level was equal to 5 normal stories and had large copper pulley doors, some of them open to reveal the various airships in use.

The riverside complex included 3 piers, a marina, a park, a 56 story spiraling gothic tower which housed not only Torchwood NY but Torchwood US headquarter. The copper and brass exterior of the tall oblong building was designed in spirals, giving it the appearance that it was twisted. Between the copper and brass exterior frame was plenty of windows. In the park were three gothic style buildings. One of the buildings was a sprawling mansion used for functions and had visiting VIP suites. The other two were moderate size and like the mansion, they had many verandas. One pier had several steam-powered ships, while the others two and the marina had a few yachts and personal use boats. High above the ground, stretched out across the side of the park which jutted out some in the marina to the north most pier was the gleaming brass and copper structure that was the airship platform for Torchwood airships and zeppelins. A narrow copper structure with a clock tower served as the entrance to the lifts and stairwells going up to the waiting area and platform. It was an impressive looking complex which drew many New York tourists to view and photograph.

Torchwood also had guided tours of their facilities for a nominal charge, the profits going to Torchwood sanctioned charities that served the New York area. One of the charities was the Children's Home that Maria Lane ran. While no child in need was ever turned away, Maria's Children's Home was primarily for misplaced alien children or victims of the Rift which ran through New York City. Dee Lane Laytner, the adopted son of Maria Lane, was raised first in the home itself as an infant and then in the apartment Maria maintained in the building next to the home after she had adopted Dee as her son when he was 5.

Manhattan was the central location where the Rift would deposit beings or items from other worlds and times, but sometimes they would get a spike in one of the other boroughs of the city and the New Jersey side that ran along the Hudson River. Several centuries before, a Rift had appeared in New York City which enabled Torchwood to open its 1st division outside of the U.K. From studies since it was first detected, it appeared to be connected to the one in Cardiff. There was a theory that the Doctor was somehow responsible for it but no one, including the Doctor himself, was able to determine exactly how it had happened. That was classified and known only to high level employees within the organization.

Since the Rift's appearance, the alien population in New York City had grown as the Rift started to displace more beings from the future and/or other worlds in the universe. It was only in the last decade that any victims of the Rift who were displaced from the future and knew where and when they had come from were able to be returned. Those who were discovered to be simply locally displaced and had enough information about their home worlds always had a chance of getting back to their homes. Many were able, which some were not and there were also some who choose to remain where they found themselves. Until two decades ago, the information would be sent to Cardiff and if arrangements were able to be made to have the displaced beings picked up, they would be sent to Cardiff. Now all research and arrangements were made directly in Torchwood New York. Investigation, contact and arrangements were now a division within the 27th Sector.

Dee Laytner had been the Sub-Director of the 27th Sector for the last four years, with Ryo MacLean as his Second. Other than returning any misplaced Rift victims to their homes, it was also responsible to retrieve whatever the Rift would spit out, as well as handle crimes relating to the aliens in the city and to investigate unauthorized time travel. It was the core division of Torchwood New York, from which all other divisions and operations extended. It was the division that was closest to the original team Ianto Harkness-Jones had found himself creating when he had taken over Torchwood Cardiff and before he had expanded Torchwood into what it had become.

Dee and J.J. entered the common area for the 27th sector. Both men had to shower and change after the Weevil was secured in the holding cells of the Torchwood NY building. J.J. was dressed in a green and yellow pinstriped waist coat over a yellow silk ruffled shirt, green linen trousers and a black frock coat. Dee had changed into leather pants with brass buckles up the side of his legs. He wore a blue cotton shirt under a black leather double-breasted waistcoat, creating a middle panel with a coarser leather than the smooth buttery leather side panels. He wore no tie, he usually didn't unless it was necessary and then he would mostly choose a cravat. Dee preferred to wear leather for his work clothes because it felt like armor on him and he believed it to be more durable than cloth for some of the situations he would get himself in. Even as a Director, he was still expected to be out in the field instead of always sitting behind his desk. Dee also had the opinion that he would never ask the men and women under him to do anything that he wouldn't do himself. He had that opinion even back when he was a cop with the NYPD because of his mentors, the two men who provided him the means to go to university overseas and then later when they recruited him a year after making Junior Detective to Torchwood as a Senior Field Agent for the 27th Sector after going through several months of training in Cardiff. His mentors were Ianto and Jack Harkness-Jones, his two ultimate bosses and heads of the entire Torchwood Institute.

They went into the office that Dee shared with Ryo to find his partner speaking to the Director of Torchwood NY, Berkeley Rose. Dee started to gnash his teeth before loudly interrupting them.

"Hey Rose, how about calling Cardiff and telling them to stop sending us their Weevils!"

Rose turned around to face Dee. "I already had, Laytner and I was told they have no control over where their Rift sends things." The man, who was from a very rich and influential family both in the US and in Europe, dripped money in his expensive clothes. The fabric of his black brocade waistcoat easily cost ten times the amount that Dee had paid for his entire ensemble he currently wore and that wasn't cheap. 14k gold chains connected across the waistcoat to similar gold buttons. He wore a white linen shirt, believing in the old tradition that fine gentlemen wore white shirts when looking their finest. His tie was the same brocade material as his waistcoat. He had a black morning coat that was trimmed with the same brocade to match his waistcoat and tie. Rose preferred to wear shoes. Imported black leather shoes were on his feet and there was a small flash of black silk socks. Dee thought the man was not so much traditional as he was safe. His outfits, while horrifically expensive, were always too matched.

As far as Dee was concerned, the man might have been a top notch field agent in his days, taking risks that others on his squads wouldn't dare, but in everything else in his life he preferred to play it safe with the exception of how he had weaseled his way into the top position for the New York branch. One could not pull the stunt he had shortly after Dee and Ryo had returned from their vacation in England, where they had first encountered the man while both Jack and Ianto were away travelling in the future while when the Director of Torchwood New York had suddenly decided to resign, stating that he was going to be travelling for several years, without covering up the truth.

It had been obvious to both Dee and Ryo that Berkeley Rose had weaseled his way into Torchwood New York only so he could woo Ryo. Dee had noticed that while he tried to get Ryo's affections, he still played around, unlike Dee who had stayed celibate until he had Ryo as his own and only flirted because it was part of his personality and didn't mean anything to the one he was flirting with. Ryo had noticed the difference and mentioned it shortly after they had become a couple. There was definitely something wrong with Rose's sudden promotion and move from Los Angeles. Jack and Ianto also sensed something was off but the bastard had covered his tracks too well and they had no evidence to take action. They could have acted just on their feelings, but Ianto and Jack were good and just leaders and would not do so until they had proof. Dee figured with time, and with Ryo's help, he would find that proof. Until then he would just play the game.

Rose attempted to make Dee's life miserable and had even attempted to get him out of Torchwood while attempting to take Ryo as a lover, but no matter what he tried, Dee was never asked to resign his post. More amazing was that until after Dee's promotion Rose never knew that the two heads of the Torchwood Institute were Dee's mentors and friends. The man nearly blew a gasket when, after his last attempt to get Dee fired, Ianto and Jack Harkness-Jones had come to New York to personally present Dee and Ryo their promotions. Rose was also warned that the Directors would never approve Dee being fired. Rose had stopped then but still managed to give Dee extra headaches than his job normally would.

Dee sat down behind his desk with a frown. "To be honest, I suspect they were sent to us. And not by the home branch."

"That could be a possibility," Ryo supported Dee. Ryo was wearing a striped waistcoat in tones of brown and gold over brown trousers and a beige linen shirt. His tie was brown with gold and copper stripes and he wore brown leather boots. For field work he wore a simple black leather overcoat which was currently hanging on the coatrack by the door.

"But I can't do anything with conclusive evidence," Rose stated to the two of them. "Sub-Director Laytner, I expect you will add an investigation into this theory on your list of priorities?"

"Yes sir," Dee snapped. "As if you needed to tell me." He glared up at the tall blond who was a few inches taller than him. "Don't you need to be somewhere else right now? Like soothing the NYPD Commission's feathers?"

"Yes I do, no thanks to you, Laytner. If you hadn't cocked up this mission, perhaps the Weevil would have not caused the excessive damage," Rose remarked, looking down at Dee.

"Yes, of course, sir. It's my fault that our equipment didn't pinpoint precisely a moving target," Dee grumbled. "If you will excuse me, sir, but I have my own clean-up tasks to handle now."

Rose sneered at the dark haired Sub-Director. "You think you can get away with that attitude because you have ties to the Directors. Well, one day you'll discover you don't." He leaned toward Ryo and gave him a smile. "I do believe that things would run smoother around here with you in charge instead of that one. One day I will make that happen. And please consider my request. Good day, Ryo." As he headed out of the office, he added, "Goodbye Laytner," without even casting a glance in Dee's direction.

Once the door was closed, Dee slammed his hand on the surface of his ornate oak desk. "One day I'm going to prove how he weaseled his way into command of our branch and why. Then it will be good-bye to him."

Ryo sighed. "Dee, Jack and Ianto already are aware of it, but they have to be cautious since you were a friend of Ianto's since you were 15 and now you are in charge of our sector."

"I know," Dee grumped. "I know." He turned to pull open a sliding copper door on the unit to his left which revealed his computer terminal.

"At least you know all of Rose's threats won't be carried out, Dee," J.J. added.

"He has a point," Ryo pointed out. "And we all know you didn't cock up this mission. Ianto always takes your reports over Rose's anyway whenever there are contrasts in the two reports."

"Well, Rose needs to go up to his nice penthouse office and concentrate on letting those under him handle their jobs," Dee said. He had logged in as they spoke and he was looking over his messages. "Speaking of which, the Badger wants a conference with all involved squads on the Weevil incident in an hour."

Ryo glanced at the time on the copper wall clock and sighed. "I'm going to have to let Bikky know we'll be late tonight."

"We'll pick up take-out on the way home," Dee assured him. "Tell him to head over to my place."

"What makes you think I won't be going back to mine and without you?" Ryo asked, looking annoyed.

"Who would want to when they can spend the night with Captain Hunk here?" J.J. asked, casting moon eyes at Dee, who ignored him.

"First of all, J.J.," Ryo started. "I'm the one with the rank of Captain around here. Second, why are you loitering here instead of with the rest of the squad working on your report?"

Dee turned around to face Ryo. "Because he's working with me on a combined report, since we were both first on scene."

OoOoOoO

Ryo had to nod in agreement with Dee's logic even if he did not like the small violet hair weapons expert being in their office and staring at Dee with lovesick eyes. He had enough of it with Director Berkeley Rose giving him the predatory eyes during his time in their office. "Fine."

"Also Ryo, I just assumed we'd be spending the night together because we have been every night except for when duty called for the last three months."

Ryo suddenly looked thoughtful. "Oh. Yeah, that's about right." He shook his head with amazement as J.J. looked crestfallen. Ryo knew it was wrong but he could not help but smirk, secretly taking pleasure in the mostly human man being around to hear that revelation. "Okay, I'll give Bikky a call and have him go over to yours."

"And tell him no hologames until all of his homework is done."

Ryo laughed as he picked up the receiver of the phone on his desk and dialed in the number which went directly to his adopted son's comm unit that Bikky wore as a band on his arm. Dee had his gaming center programmed to log times it was in use. Many times he used it just to track how many hours it would

take them to complete a match or when one was playing, a level, but he also used it to assure Bikky was not using it when he was not authorized to, meaning while he still had school or school work to do.

"Hey Biks? Where are you? No need to go there. It's all cleaned up now and nothing to see," he warned his son upon hearing he was in the vicinity of their Weevil chase. "However this incident does mean we'll be tied up here for a couple of extra hours. Do you have homework? Don't lie, Bikky. That's better. I want you to head over to Dee's flat and get your homework done. After you're finished, you can play some games. We'll have dinner with us when we get there. Yes, we are spending the night there. No you don't have to go home first because you have clothes in your room at Dee's." Another epiphany struck Ryo as he spoke. "I'll see you later. I love you, Biks." He snorted and as he hung up the received added, "I know you love me too."

"Brat," Dee chuckled.

When Ryo looked over to him, Dee also had a thoughtful look on his face, along with a grin.

OoOoOoO

"Hey Dee?" Ryo asked.

"Yeah Ryo?"

"Since when does Bikky have his own room at yours and some of his clothes?"

"Well, last year I set up one of my guest rooms so it was more of a boy's bedroom since Bikky spends a lot of nights in my place. Then I think in the last month or so, you started to bring some of his clothes around and bought some new things to keep there so he wouldn't have to go back to yours if needed. That's also why half of my closet has your clothes in it."

Ryo sat back in his chair while J.J., who had pulled a chair from in front of Dee's desk to sit next to Dee, hung his head. "Wow. Hmm."

"Wow. Hm?" Dee asked. "Is that all you have to say about this?" He frowned as he realized J.J.'s chair was right next to his and the smaller man was starting to lean over so his chest rested on Dee's back. He pushed J.J. off. "Hey! I didn't ask you to sit in my lap, J.J.! Get that chair back where it belongs and sit on the other side of my desk!" He kicked out for good measure, making the chair which had wheels go rolling away from him.

Ryo chuckled. "Back off, J.J. Dee's taken," he stated in warning.

"And very happily so," Dee added, watching as J.J. moved the chair around the desk without standing up.

"Dee, I think we need to talk about this more tonight. I also think at some point Bikky should also be involved," Ryo stated.

Dee's smile grew as his dark green eyes glittered. "If you're thinking what I hope you are, then I agree."

"I'm pretty certain we are," Ryo replied.

"By the way, Ryo. How did you get back so soon?" Dee asked.

"The others had it well in hand," Ryo replied. "So I decided to come back here to better oversee operations."

Dee nodded as he started to work on his report. "Good call," he stated with a smile.

"Oh Dee?" Ryo called from his desk, making Dee stop working and look over to Ryo again with a raised eyebrow. "I love the change of clothes." He smiled at Dee.

"Thanks," Dee said, returning the smile full of love.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Much thanks to I love Janto for following me to this side of the Two Worlds universe! *hugs*

* * *

Warren Smith, the heavyset Director of Field Operations of which the 27th Sector was under, stood before the assembled squads involved in that afternoon's incident in Torchwood NY's assembly hall on the 25th floor of the Torchwood building. He wore an ill-fitted gray pinstriped hip-length waistcoat over a white cotton shirt. His trousers matched his waistcoat. He wore no jacket or coat and his shirt sleeves were rolled. His shoes were gray and black leather. His title was Director Smith, but since his promotion to his current position he preferred to be called Chief.

"That was quite a mess that critter caused today," he started, clamping down on an unlit cigarette in his mouth. He looked around the front rows until his eyes settled on Dee. "Laytner, I'm going to have you kick this off since it's under the 27th's jurisdiction."

Dee, who was leaning back in his seat in the front row with his feet stretched out and his arms crossed, rolled his eyes. He leaned over to Ryo to say, "It's always under the 27th's jurisdiction. That's what we're all here for."

"Care to share something with the rest of us, Sub-Director Laytner?" Smith asked, hearing Dee. So did a few others who sat around them.

Dee stood up with a smirk and started toward the slight platform that Smith stood on. "I was saying to my Second there that it's always under the 27th's jurisdiction." He turned to face the assembled squads and grinned. "After all, that's what we're all here for."

Smith had to agree with Dee. He was usually hard on Dee and pushed him more than needed, but that was because as good as Dee was at what he did, Smith knew there was more that Dee could give. More than most of the others in that room could. He pushed Dee more than the two main Directors would, but that was because they saw Dee as a friend, younger brother and sometimes son. They went easy on him where Warren Smith did not, but Smith could say he never for a moment questioned Ianto's and Jack's decision to promote Dee to head the 27th Sector when Smith was promoted. He had even sent in his own recommendation that he believed that Dee was ready for promotion and that Ryo would be the logical choice to be Dee's Second. Dee had always been the best in what he had done since joining Torchwood, but he did have some bad habits that could have held him back. It was after Ryo came to the 27th Sector that Dee had started to change for the better. The two made a great team, and it seemed to be a lasting one now that Laytner and MacLean were a couple.

Dee Laytner had potential to go very far, despite his start on life. Smith knew Dee's background. It was on record for all his supervisors to review. Dee was found by a Torchwood field agent from the 27th Sector on a Rift alert. When Jess Latener arrived at the location he found a two month old baby boy in a baby holder that could only come from the future. He confirmed the location and that what he was looking for appeared to be human and small. He brought the baby back to Torchwood, where tests were conducted. The baby was saturated with Rift energy which confirmed he was what had come through the Rift. The tests that said he was mostly human and possibly had come from somewhere in future which explained the odd carrier the baby was in.

Under the blanket they had found a handwritten note which was in Galactic Standard saying, "Keep my baby safe. His name is D-". Whoever, most likely a parent, had written the note apparently ran out of time from whatever and never had the time to finish writing the baby's name. By the time the baby was taken to Maria Lane's Children's Home, everyone was calling him Dee. The name stuck when Maria filed the paperwork to be sent over to Cardiff. For lack of a last name, which Maria needed to file paperwork which would make the baby a citizen of New York City, she followed procedure for such situations. She rearranged the name of the person who found the baby. She believed it was a bit exotic to change the name Latener into Laytner. Exotic seemed to fit the baby boy who she was told was from the future, along with his olive tone complexion, near black hair and unusual dark green eyes. There was no hope that Dee would ever find his way home so she filed everything the child would need through life to have a place that he belonged.

Smith sat down as Dee started to explain the situation from when they had gotten the alert.

"For those of you who haven't been around the last three weeks or were lucky enough not to encounter this type of alien before," Dee explained, "the alien is called a Weevil. It's what they were named by Cardiff way back when they first started to appear. What their race is really called we don't know. Studies and attempts at communication have been conducted. Dr. Owen Harper from Torchwood Cardiff has been studying them for years and while he has notebooks filled with observations, he's not close to communicating with them. The Cardiff branch continues to observe and attempt to communicate with them, obviously with no luck yet.

"Weevils prefer to live underground. The sewers of Cardiff have been infested with them for centuries. It's only in the last few weeks that we've been getting sightings of the Weevils. So far we have been able to capture only three, mostly because by the time a field team arrives at the location a Rift spike had occurred, they already have gone underground and no trace to track them. Our systems can only guess at how many come through a Rift event. I can tell you that we did detect more than one this afternoon, but by the time we arrived we only found the one and it was about ten blocks away from the location of the Rift spike.

"Based on Cardiff's reports on Weevils, as well as my own experience dealing with them during my time spent in Cardiff, I can tell you that Weevils can be dangerous, especially when they sense they are threatened. In a Weevil's case, threatening equals being approached. Also according to studies, they can be vengeful. Weevils tend to run in packs and when one in a pack is harmed, especially if it is a mate or child, the others will go looking for revenge. Unlike humans and other intelligent beings, where we look for the actual person responsible, Weevils will lash out at any being in its vicinity. We're lucky we had no casualties are a result of a direct Weevil attack, considering how crowded the streets were." Dee looked over to Ryo and nodded ever so slightly.

His partner stood up and joined Dee at the platform, already speaking. "So far it appears the Weevils we encountered were scared and confused. Coming through the Rift can do that to the best of beings," Ryo said. He faced the rest of the room. "But we also suspect that we have others who are underground. They'll have time to adjust and adapt and eventually will find their ways up to the streets, usually at night. We fear then we will start getting calls of sightings or hear of attacks. We'll have to step in to investigate. Torchwood medical divisions will have to step up to care for survivors, just as they do for Rift victims when needed. We will have to work closer with the local police, possibly train them if they should be the first on scene of a Weevil attack with one still in the area. They will have to hold their own until one of our teams can arrive on scene to take control of the situation." He paused as Drake raised his hand, looking concerned. "Yes Drake?"

Drake stood up. He wore a gray workshirt and black trousers, along with black leather braces. Like Smith, he had his shirt sleeves rolled up. "The NYPD made it quite clear that if it's alien, it's ours. They claim they don't have the resources to train the coppers on dealing with other beings not human and want to leave it to the experts to handle."

OoOoOoO

Dee nodded his head in agreement, the look on his face showing his distaste for that attitude. It was that attitude that left Dee feeling unfulfilled during his three years with the NYPD before he was offered a chance to become field agent in the 27th Sector. He had jumped at the chance and never regretted it. What he loved about Torchwood was that assistance was offered to humans as well as aliens. Back when Dee thought he had wanted to be a cop, he found he wanted to help everyone. Having spent time in Cardiff and with Jack and Ianto, Dee had much experience with helping out aliens and found it frustrating when he was to do the absolute minimum until someone from Torchwood arrived. He had gotten in trouble for doing more than he was expected. Even if he had managed to make Junior Detective in near record time, he knew he would never have lasted much longer. He only stuck in as long as he had because New York City was an expensive city and he did not want to take money from Maria, even if she assured him she was able to. Dee always had felt extra money given to him as an adult was money taken from children in the home who needed it more, and nothing his mother said would make him change his mind. He would have felt the same had he been Maria's biological son.

"That's true," Dee answered, "but the NYPD will need to understand that this is only to protect their own, as well as protect and serve civilians until Torchwood can step in. Based on cases from Cardiff, in the time a team can be dispatched from here, there can be a lot of death and injury, no matter how fast we can respond. And I believe everyone can agree that even one injury is too many."

Heads around the hall nodded with agreement as murmuring started.

"It's true that training at least street patrols on how to handle Weevils is needed," Ryo said, "But Dee and I suggest that we dispatch our own patrols in Manhattan. At least have a patrol team close enough to arrive within minutes from anywhere in Manhattan, which so far the Weevil appearances have been isolated to."

"Are we in the belief that Manhattan will remain isolated?" Smith asked both men with him. Dee knew he already knew the answer but wanted it answered to the assembled squads because it appeared no one other than Dee and Ryo were thinking about it. Even Smith did not until both men came to his office the week before with that concern.

"No," Dee answered. "Unfortunately we aren't. New York's sewer system is extensive throughout the entire city and Weevils are perfectly capable of getting around on foot. We also have the subway tunnels, which concerns us." Dee glanced over to Ryo as Smith nodded his head as he folded his arms.

Dee paused and watched as realization of just how bad the potential of Weevil attacks can be showed on the faces of everyone in the room. Some were starting to frown, while others looked concerned.

"This could be a bad situation," J.J. piped up. He had his first experience with a Weevil even if he belonged to the core squad of the 27th Sector because he had been on vacation in Los Angeles, where he had grown up before his family moved to New York City. He still had some friends and family in California and liked to visit at least once a year. He stayed in Los Angeles for two weeks and he spent 10 days total in travel time via airship. It would take longer by other means. Thankfully Torchwood was generous with their leave time, believing agents needed the time for their mental and physical well-being. JJ had also taken advantage of Torchwood's space available travel. Being in the core squad and working directly with the 27th Sector's Director and Second as partners gave him some preferred treatment with Torchwood benefits. "If a Weevil finds itself in a crowded subway station…." He did not finish his statement and shivered instead.

"Exactly," Dee said. "Ryo and I thought about that too. While we expect Weevil sightings on the surface to be mostly limited to the dark hours, subways are dark enough that they would be encouraged to enter tracks and even stations. Not only are attacks in stations possible, but if a Weevil is on the tracks when a train is coming by can be a very bad situation."

"You have had experience with these Weevil things before now?" a woman asked Dee.

Dee looked out to the speaker. Not everyone in the room had been to Cardiff. From what Dee knew from the personnel files he had read, very few in the 27th Sector had ever been to Cardiff. Very few had gone through training other than the program Torchwood New York offered. It was only because Ianto and Jack preferred for Dee to be trained by those who were screened and trained by The Directors themselves that Dee had been trained in Cardiff. Going through training in Cardiff when you were to be assigned elsewhere is much like Officer boot camp for the military. Those who were trained in Cardiff and assigned to other branches were already determined to eventually become leaders within the organization. Between training in Cardiff with his completion scores and his experience with the NYPD, he came to the 27th Sector as a Senior Field Agent and assigned to an elite squad in the Investigations division.

"Yes, I have. I had my first encounter with a Weevil when I was sixteen while shopping with friends at St. David's Market in Cardiff. It wasn't my first time hearing of them thankfully. I knew enough how to take evasive action and make sure Torchwood was called."

Dee thought back to the summer he was sixteen and had been invited to spend a month in Cardiff with Jack and Ianto Harkness-Jones. They had taken interest in Dee when he was fifteen and he had given a statement to the Torchwood team assigned to the investigation that had broken an alien contraband ring which included selling illegal tech, alien drugs and also had alien slave trade and prostitution under their belts. It was because of that ring that he had lost one of his best friends. He also had lost the man Dee called his father. After having a good long soul searching talk with Maria after he lost Jess, he had decided the right thing was to tell everything, even if it had tarnished Jess's name. Dee had discovered on the day he had lost the only father figure he had in life up to then that Jess had been a half-assed field agent, but even to this day in his heart he always felt that the man had been a great father. He had many happy memories of Jess going back as far back as he could remember. What had happened and what he had done after did not change that, especially since Jess was killed protecting Dee, who had stuck his nose where a 15 year old had no right putting it.

Shortly after, Jack and Ianto had come to New York to speak to Dee. They had appreciated what he had done and were amazed as well. They also were concerned since the main ring leader, a big alien who was able to pass as human, was the only one Torchwood was not able to apprehend and had disappeared from the radar. They were worried that one day he might return to get revenge on Dee, so they decided to take an active interest in him. He later found out there were agents assigned to watching after him. After they returned to Cardiff, Jack and Ianto regularly communicated with him, checking how he was doing, offered to lend an ear that was best for another male to hear instead of his mother. Jack and Ianto pretty much stepped in as the new father-figures in Dee's life. Dee had never thought of them as fathers like he had with Jess. They were more like older brothers and mentors. By the time the invitation arrived to go to Cardiff during summer vacation, Dee was not surprised. He had already expressed many times his desire to see the city the two men spoke of and called home. Since then Dee had spent enough time in Cardiff to know how to handle Weevils long before he had entered Field Agent training.

He looked over to his Second as he added, "Ryo also has previous experience with Weevils."

"My parents' business had a branch in Cardiff, mostly because they had to get their license through Torchwood Cardiff to trade alien and future art. Growing up I spent two to six months a year in Cardiff and saw a Weevil when I was very young. You also hear things living in Cardiff so you pretty much get to know about them. That wasn't my only time I saw one. I also was trained as a field agent in Cardiff and got to deal first-hand with them," Ryo replied.

Chief Smith stood up. "I heard about Weevils but the first time I saw one was when we locked the first one up down in the holding area." His gaze went to J.J., Drake, Ted and Marty Martinson who also worked directly with Dee and Ryo. "Some of you have experience with handling Weevils up-close but most of you have not had the training. We never had the need to train specifically for Weevils until now. Your leaders have agreed with me that we need to amend this."

"That's right," Dee stated. "I know we try to keep your average hours as normal as possible but sometimes we have to ask more of you. This is going to be one of those times. You will get compensation for any additional time over your normal hours for this training." Dee had to smirk. Smith had approved it, as well as Jack and Ianto when Dee had casually mentioned the idea to his friends during a social call the other day. The only one who did not know of it yet was Director Rose. Dee, Ryo and Smith were all assured that Jack and Ianto would handle Rose themselves and to consider the plan approved.

There were many times when duty called and people did not get home the time they were used to because of some alien-related emergency or investigation and there was no extra compensation for it because it was an agreement they had signed that it was part of the job. While rare, but there were also times when people did not make it home for days when the situation called for it. Working longer hours because of a situation had one's adrenalin running and they were caught up in something that was the reason they all worked for Torchwood. Also most training was done during work shifts. The need for a complete and extensive training course that would give their people a greater chance of survival was crucial, which meant it could not be any of the half-assed training modules given during the work shift. Ryo also felt that making people stay for long hours outside of their shift would affect moral. By giving them extra compensation for the extra time over the weeks the course would be conducted would keep interest in it. Which would hopefully mean more came out of knowing exactly what they should do and stay alive while limiting civilian casualties while agents were on scene.

"Because we need to make sure we have the best in handling Weevils and work out the logistics for administering the course, it won't start for at least several weeks. Information will be sent out once we have confirmation on dates," said Dee. "Until then, I want everyone to remember the general procedures in handling dangerous aliens and to go to the online procedures section and find the material for Weevil handling. It will give you an advantage for those of you who have never dealt with them before. Thankfully the rate we have to deal with Weevils right now means we do have enough experienced field agents to handle it. Work schedules might have to be adjusted somewhat and some temporary reassignments are to be made to assure we have at least one full squad of experience field agents at the ready at all hours. Ryo and I will also extend our hours to contribute as much as we are able until we get more of you trained."

It wasn't the first time they had to take measures like this, but it was the first since Dee had taken over the 27th Sector. He had been still new to Torchwood when New York had its first Blowfish problem which had created all sorts of havoc. Anyone who was assigned to first response squads had to go through extensive off-hour training. It did not matter if they had experience or not. It did not matter that Dee had recently completed his training which had including responding to Blowfish incidents. He still had to take the training. Dee had decided that anyone who had experience dealing with Weevils documented in their records would only require a refresher course. He already had Jack and Ianto's approval, along with their appreciation of the insight.

Berkeley Rose was going to have a meltdown within the next day, and there was nothing he was able to do to Dee or Ryo about it. The only thing the Torchwood NY Director would be able to do was to suck it up.

It was a satisfying thought to Dee.

Dee concluded the conference with the Chief's approval and watched as everyone started out of the hall.

"Dee, Ryo," Smith said. "It's past the end of your shifts and I know your plates just got heavier, so call it a day and get your reports done at the start of your shift tomorrow. Also tell the men in your squad that I'm not expecting reports from them until tomorrow. However that means I want everything well documented."

"Since when don't we?" Ryo protested, obviously offended, since he combed through each and every report, Dee's included, and assured all fixes were completed before Dee filed them for Chief Smith.

"I'm just saying, MacLean. It's part of my job. Isn't that right, Laytner?" Smith gave Dee a knowing glance.

"I only do that because I don't need Ryo up my ass about sloppy reports from our squads," Dee remarked, which made Smith let out a guffaw.

"Right. Well, good night gentlemen. And don't stay up too long tonight working on this Weevil situation from home," Smith stated as he started for the hall doors.

"Night Chief," Dee said with a laugh.

"Good night, Chief Smith," said Ryo. He looked at Dee and together they started for the exit door that would let out nearest to the lift to get to their office.

OoOoOoO

Ryo finally came out of the building noting it was near dark. On a nearby bench facing the Hudson River sat Dee. He had his legs stretched out and crossed and his arms were draped across the top of the bench. He stared out at the river as he smoked a cigarette.

Even with Chief Smith's dismissal, they still had to tie up loose ends in their work before getting ready to leave. Thankfully Ryo had the foresight to call the Torchwood Café to place their orders for pick-up. Unlike the cafeterias located in the tower where they charged a nominal amount for something that was nutritious but most times unidentifiable, the Torchwood Café was a full charge restaurant that was located on the ground floor of the mansion that served gourmet food, snacks and desserts.

Dee had left not long before Ryo, saying he would meet him in the park. Ryo found Dee just as he expected. With a smile, Ryo walked along the path toward the bench. He came up behind the bench and rested his chin on the top of Dee's head.

"Anything interesting going on in Jersey?" Ryo asked.

"The usual," Dee replied. "They wish they were New York."

Ryo laughed and lifted his head so he could kiss the top of Dee's. "Do you want to wait here while I get our dinner?"

Dee leaned his head back to smile up at Ryo. "Nah." He put out his cigarette and stood up. "Let's get going. I'm tired but we still have something to do tonight."

"Yes," Ryo said as watched Dee walk around the bench. He took Dee's hand and together they started to walk across the grass, taking the direct way. "I think we definitely need to talk between us first before involving Bikky. So I think we should talk after Bikky goes to his room for the night."

"Or we can call an early night. It's been quite a day, and that was before the Weevil alert."

"Yup. Those damn Weevils are a headache."

"More like a nightmare," Dee remarked.

As they stated up the granite steps leading to the café's veranda, Ryo groaned. "I think we need to look more into having sewer searches."

"It's going to take a lot of planning," Dee mused. "And we really need to make sure anyone we send searching for them is fully trained."

"The first step is to alert the authorities, so they understand about the sewers and what could happen in the subways."

"I know. I've been thinking about it. You know they won't shut down the subways," Dee replied as Ryo opened the door to the café and held it for Dee. "They'd be idiots if they do. People should be advised to use caution, but not to stop going about their lives."

"I understand, and I agree. I'm just worried about the potential of starting a panic," Ryo replied.

"I am too," Dee said. "Then again, all we can do is give our suggestions and leave it to the Communications divisions."

They went up to the counter where the pink-tinged skinned woman with a pony tail of thick silver hair smiled and greeted them by name. "Your order is just about ready," she assured them. "Please take a seat and I'll have it out as soon as it's wrapped."

"Thanks Arabelle," Ryo said and watched for a moment as she went to the back, calling out to another person to take over the counter until she returned.

"And you say I flirt?" Dee replied amused.

"What?" Ryo asked turning to face Dee.

Dee led him to the upholstered chairs set up for those waiting for their take-out orders. The café not only did good business during the day but also did better with after shift take-outs. When someone ended up working later than they planned, it was convenient to call in and pick up a warm, delicious meal to take home before leaving the complex. "Dude, you were totally flirting with her," Dee pointed out. "You always do when she's here. And she flirts back."

Ryo laughed as he sat down. "She's married and I'm with you. It'll never go any further."

"I don't blame her. I mean, look at you."

"You don't blame her, huh? Does that mean you blame me?" Ryo asked, struggling to look slightly annoyed.

He held his hands out as if in surrender. "I wouldn't think of it," he replied.

Ryo couldn't help it and he started to laugh.

"I knew you were joking," Dee replied.

"As I knew you were."

"True. Kinda hard to pull one over an empath, huh?" Dee asked with a grin.

"It gets extremely hard when there's two involved," Ryo added.

"Yup. So what are we having for dinner tonight?"

"Nothing exotic. We do want Bikky to eat too, so I ordered the pot roast platters."

"Good choice," Dee said. "Ryo?"

"Hmm?"

"I know we have lots to think about and plans to come up with, but I think Chief was telling us something when he dismissed us. Once we get home, no more shop talk. At least not until we finish the talk we need to have."

"You're right. We're going to be busy enough over the next few weeks. We'll probably be home later and not see much of Bikky. Or him of us," Ryo mused.

"Yeah. Let's make the best of it before all hell breaks loose," said Dee.

"And then I think after that, maybe we should look into finally taking some time off." Ryo stared at Dee, pausing until the other man met his eyes. "As a family."

Immediately Dee opened his mouth to start to protest about dragging Bikky along, but then he saw Ryo's face. He heard in Ryo's tone what he did not say with words. He clamped his mouth shut for a few moments and then he smiled warmly. "Okay. One family vacation – whenever we have this mess under control and then hope something else doesn't come up."

"I promise you won't forget it," Ryo said with a grin that made Dee want to skip time with Bikky, dinner and the talk.

It was going to be a long night.

OoOoOoO


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE**

As Dee operated his private aircar over the Hudson River heading north, Ryo stared out ahead noticing they were almost at Dee's. Dee was looking up toward their right at the cloud city high above Manhattan with its glistening towering spires and bridges between buildings. Aircars, airbuses and airships all were coming and going various landing areas around the large cloud city. It lit up that area of the sky all through the night, being easily visible even in New Jersey and the Catskill Mountains. In the daylight the city still glistened and glowed making it easy to view but not from the same distances as at night. Upper New York was like an amped up New York City and mostly for entertainment, and it boasted some of the best resorts. The few permanent residence buildings offered the best living accommodations in the city. Most of the owners of businesses in Upper New York chose to live there. Not very many who did not spend most of their time in Upper New York chose to live there and preferred to go up for visits. It was always a fun trip when Ryo went there but he had no desire to live there, preferring to live in the city proper.

"Maybe until we can find time for that vacation, we can get a free night or weekend to take Bikky and Carol up to Upper New York," Dee said thoughtfully.

Ryo turned his head in Dee's direction and smiled. Their eyes met before Dee's moved to pay attention to the other aircar going south along the Hudson River and the zeppelin with a bright colorful balloon with the logo of a major casino in Upper New York that flew westward above them. The double decker gondola was copper and red and easily fit around 30 passengers in comfort. It seemed to be coming from one of the other boroughs or even Long Island.

"I like that thought, Dee," Ryo replied. "It's been a while since we had a family night there."

Dee chuckled slightly, and Ryo knew he was thinking of the last few times they had a couple of days off and Bikky was to stay at a friend's house, but even the last time it was just the two of them was too long ago. Ever since the first Weevil alert and they knew they did not round up all the dangerous aliens, Dee and Ryo had been working on the plans behind what they had to say in that meeting. As the Rift continued to deposit more Weevils around Manhattan and they only had a small percentage in their cells, it made it more imperative to draw up drafts of proposals for inter-agency cooperation. The NYPD needed have their patrols trained in case they were around when a Weevil attacked and other agencies had to be able to protect themselves until Torchwood arrived. All of this between other alerts and calls that kept them busy.

Dee started to lower the aircar as they approached his building. It was located in a private park for the residents of the three buildings between 79th and 81st Streets off of Riverside Drive. Both circular buildings were 20 stories tall and taking up almost a full city block with verandas going around the building at every other floor. Despite their size and shape, the architecture was that of the grand mansions and rowhouses along that area of Riverside Drive. Each building had four domes which were multi-level penthouse flats. With copper frames and iridescent windows, the domes would sparkle in the sunlight, and glow in the evening. One of the domes on the building off 79th Street Dee had called home for the last eight years. Unlike the other tenants occupying the floors below the penthouses that had to use the underground parking if they owned an aircar, Dee had a platform next to his private rooftop garden to park his, just as the other domes had.

As Dee lowered the vehicle onto his platform, Ryo reached behind him to get the brown paper shopping bag with their dinner.

"Home, sweet home," Dee sighed as he shut down the aircar. "I just hope nothing goes down tonight to drag us back to work."

"Especially after we decided no work tonight," Ryo said as he opened the door and got out.

"Exactly." Dee opened the gate leading to his garden and walked along the path toward the front door. He opened the front door and held it open for Ryo.

"Bikky, are you here?" Ryo called out as he entered.

"Of course he is," Dee said sounding amused. "We didn't leave the lights on when we left this morning and I can hear one of my games going."

As Ryo stepped out of the entryway into the living room, the sounds became louder. "And he most likely can't hear us."

Dee snorted as he took the bag from Ryo. "What about I get this on the table while you drag Biks away from holo-time?"

"Thanks, Dee," Ryo replied. He headed across the room to the archway in the wall which split the living room from the rest of the first level of Dee's home.

"Bikky," Ryo called out in the hall but still no answer. Annoyed he went down the hall, following the sounds until he stood in front of the door to the gameroom.

He opened the door and found his adopted son battling it out with metal monsters made up of gears. The boy wore a pair of black corduroy trousers and a red pullover shirt with black braces, along with a pair of beat up black runners. Ryo realized that it was time to go shopping with Bikky and get him new shoes.

Coming up behind the boy, he went over to the console and shut the game down.

Bikky jumped and turned in alarm, uttering a curse.

"Language, Bikky," Ryo warned.

"Oh hi Ryo. I guess you and the moron's home."

"Yes, Dee and I are home, Bikky." It was at that moment it sounded so right Ryo knew he would be giving up the flat he shared with the boy. From the casual way Bikky said it, it was pretty easy to work out that Bikky also considered this place his home. "Dee's putting dinner out, so go wash up. And make it quick so your dinner is still hot."

"What are we having?"

"Pot roast, green beans and mashed potatoes."

"That's my favorite," Bikky exclaimed.

"Yes it is. So hurry up. You're probably hungry by now. I'm sorry we're so late, Biks."

"It's cool, Ryo. I know things are busy at work. Besides, I grabbed a knish from the fridge when I got here."

"Good. I told Dee it was a good idea to keep some around here. Except you're lucky there was one left to eat." Ryo started to walk toward the door with Bikky next to him. "Your homework it done, I assume."

"Yes. All of it. I finished a half hour ago."

"I want to see it after dinner."

Bikky pouted. "You don't trust me."

"When it comes to schoolwork, no," Ryo stated.

"Aw Ryo!"

"Until you give me reason to think otherwise, that's my answer." As they walked down the hall, Ryo said, "So you really like Dee's games."

"He has the best!" Bikky exclaimed. "He has programs that no one else has. I guess that's a benefit of working for Torchwood." His grin got wider. "And that he knows that hot Japanese chick in Cardiff."

"If Owen heard you talk about his wife like that…."

"He'd thank me," Bikky cut in with a smirk.

Ryo sighed. "Yes, you're right. He would. And then he'd put his fist into your face."

"You wouldn't let him," Bikky exclaimed. He stopped before a door. "I'll be out in a few minutes."

"Okay." Ryo watched as Bikky entered his room, which had a private bathroom. "You could have used the kitchen sink, you know," he said to the door.

Ryo knew Bikky liked his room here. He liked the games here. He was comfortable taking the snacks or meals Dee left if they worked late. Bikky even called it home.

It might be easier to convince Bikky they were going to be living here full-time with Dee than Ryo thought.

OoOoOoO

Dee and Ryo walked down the street from where they had left Dee's aircar. Dee had landed it on an intersection which already was jammed with Torchwood vehicles, along with police who made sure nobody wandered in on the scene.

They found Drake and Ted already there, looking over a black aircar which had gone went through a wooden building.

Ryo pointed out J.J., who was speaking to some very shaken aliens. Dee and Ryo joined Drake and Ted. "So what's going on here?" Dee asked.

Drake turned to look at Dee, while Ryo made a slow circle around the vehicle. The entire city block was in chaos. Carriages were banged up or overturned, and people were being treated by emergency services. A carriage that had been pulled by a horse was in the middle of the road crushed and the fallen horse being prepared to be removed. A couple of horses ran wild, while the sound of other wild horses could be heard from the nearby streets.

"This is a disaster," Ryo uttered, bringing Dee's attention from the destruction on the street to the vehicle.

"Blowfish," Ted replied with a snort. "Got its scaly hands on an aircar from uptown and crash landed it here."

Drake sighed. "According to the few witnesses on the street, it just dropped from the sky onto that carriage there. It skidded off and continued to skid out of control until it came to a stop here." He pointed down at the vehicle.

"Casualties?" Ryo asked.

"Plenty," J.J. replied coming over to join them.

Dee looked down the street and then back down at the stolen aircar. "How many humans?" he asked.

"None. At this time of the night, in this neighborhood, humans mostly stick to the main street," J.J. answered.

"So this one is all ours then," Dee stated.

"All alien, yes. The NYPD is helping with keeping the curious away. We have a team assisting them," Ted said.

Dee looked at his men present on the scene. Drake and Ted were dressed in linen shirts, waistcoats and overcoats, which was their normal wear. J.J. usually was a conscientious in his clothes, much like Ryo, but also like Ryo, J.J. was more casually dressed. He wore a jumper over a pair of black denim under his overcoat. Dee was also dressed casually but he had his coat closed. He was a more casual dresser than Ryo and J.J., but he was vain enough to make sure he always looked good in whatever he wore. It was even more important for him in his position to wear clothes that oozed authority.

"So what were you two doing working at this time?" Dee asked, crossing his arms, his steady gaze on the two men.

"Oh, um, Drake called me in," Ted replied.

"Oh?" asked Dee, his attention solely on Drake.

"I had an idea about the Weevils and the subway, but since I'm crap at computers, I convinced Ted to come in and give me a hand. I was hoping we'd have a preliminary report by the time you got in today," Drake replied, "but then this happened."

Dee raised an eyebrow and then grinned at Drake. "I'm up to any and all suggestions. After we're done here, unfortunately. Hey, do we have the Blowfish responsible?"

The other three nodded their heads. "Yes," J.J. replied.

"More or less," said Drake.

"More or less?" Ryo asked.

"Let's just say it pissed off someone in the family whose home it drove into," J.J. said. "They ended up scaling it with a laser gun."

Ryo's eyebrows rose. "Are we doing anything about the laser gun?"

"Yup, but we're also trying not to make them feel like the criminals here. I mean, they are homeless right now," Drake said.

Dee nodded his head. "We can't overlook that certain weapons are illegal but we'll make sure the rest of the family is taken care of. I can't make promises for whoever shot off the gun. Get the family settled in a safehouse, then finish getting their statements. Ryo and I will escort the laser happy family member. He may or may not join the family later. And of course, let us know if they feel they want to file any complaints with the Off-World Consulate."

"Roger that," Drake replied.

"Care to point out the laser-happy Rymorian?" Ryo asked.

"He's still with his family. He has a wife and a litter of hysterical children. They're keeping him busy enough," said Drake, pointing out the man who was comforting his family.

"Let's go get them settled," Ryo said with a sigh. "I do hate having to separate them."

"Transport them together, I guess," Dee replied, watching the scene in front of him.

"Change of plans, boss?" Drake asked.

"Yes. It's our duty to protect the alien citizens of this city, and that poor family needs protecting. If it makes them feel safe after having their home destroyed, then he can stay a little longer with them before we take him for interrogation," Dee decided.

Ryo had to agree. If he was in the father's place, even if he was in the wrong, he'd want to make sure his family was okay first. The man wasn't dangerous; at least Ryo didn't think so. Ryo knew how he could get when Dee or Bikky was threatened, or even Carol or his aunt and uncle and Mother. He certainly knew how Dee could get. He took a step closer to Dee, standing right behind him and a little to Dee's left.

"Dee and I probably should check with the other squads first anyway," Ryo spoke up. When Dee turned his head in Ryo's direction, Ryo continued, "Whenever we're done here, we'll collect the father for questioning."

Dee nodded and winked at Ryo, making him smile. "What Ryo said. I take it you already confiscated the weapon?"

"J.J. has it locked up," Drake replied, "We'll place it in evidence storage for now."

"Good. Well then, you and Ted escort them to a suite in the tower," Dee said. "J.J. will stay with us for now."

"Right."

OoOoOoO

It was in the early hours before Dee and Ryo found themselves entering the 27th Sector. They had the body of the Blowfish in the Torchwood morgue and the crashed aircar impounded until the owner was located. Until then, they had a team go through the vehicle.

It was very likely they would never know why the Blowfish stole the vehicle but they could take a good guess. Blowfish tended to do wild and dangerous things because it was fun. Fun for Blowfish usually amounted to not good for them or for anyone else who had the misfortune to be in the area.

Like the family that was now homeless along with several others who were on Avenue C between 9th and 10th Streets in Alphabet City. It was a bad neighborhood but had many poor aliens who couldn't afford to live elsewhere in Manhattan. Instead of brick and stone buildings there were rows of wooden houses and tenement buildings. It was no different than other neighborhoods with poor immigrants, only the immigrants in Alphabet City came from other worlds rather than countries on Earth. For many of those living in the neighborhood chose to live there instead of their home worlds. Whatever they faced living on a low income was better than where they had come.

What Dee, Ryo and J.J. had discovered while speaking to neighbors who knew the displaced family, the father was hard working who had a job in a factory with long hours and had taken odd jobs to keep his family in the tiny apartment. His wife was a housewife, who took care of their seven children. Rymorians, who despite their looking mostly human but with deep burnt red skin and tiny ridges on their foreheads, tended to have litters rather than a single child. He loved his wife and his children and would do anything to protect them. He also would at times take a job to help an elder, be it alien or human, and not charge them. He was quick to help when he could and would pass up taking money from someone he felt could use the money better, like to feed their own family.

Dee and Ryo had already agreed they could not fault the man for dealing with the Blowfish who crashed an aircar into their tiny but neat flat and were going to report he acted out of self-defense. The man's only crime was owning an unregistered and illegal weapon and using it. Thankfully it was Dee's decision to make whether the man would have to face a jury for his crime, or be under probation by Torchwood. They still had to question him before Dee made his decision official. He did not say much about what he planned to do, but Ryo could tell Dee had a plan.

There were other families in the 10-flat tenement that were also displaced that night because the first inspection of the building declared its structure to be unstable. All tenants in the building were alien, so it was Torchwood's responsibility to find them temporary housing until a final decision would be made on the building. That decision was not Torchwood's to make, even if they would provide a couple of engineers to be part of the inspection team. They would be there only to assure there was a fair assessment in the case the tenants would not be able to move back soon or ever. There were some city officials who were prejudiced and did not like the idea of having so many beings from other worlds in the city. Some of them even did not like many of the non-white humans too. Then there were some who had their interests in companies like S-Corp, who bought up older areas of the city little by little until there was enough to raze to build new factories, high income housing and new skyscrapers.

There was a squad who was working hard at finding temporary places for those displaced families to stay until they were able to move back into the building or find something more permanent to settle into. Other divisions sent squads to comfort and console the families of those injured that evening because of the Blowfish. Another squad was hard at work identifying the now dead Blowfish.

Dee and Ryo personally took responsibility that the family who had the aircar crash into their flat was settled in, having Ted and Drake in constant contact and an update on which suite the family was settled in the transient section of the Torchwood tower. By the time they finished at the scene and arrived in Torchwood, checking in with all divisions working on the incident, they heard that the family was still awake.

Chief Smith was waiting for them in their office. Dee and Ryo had given him a brief rundown of their activities while Smith briefed them on reports that had come in from the other departments.

"One of the little ones was grazed by the car," Smith explained when Ryo inquired on the family. "The Hollenswogs, as tired as they were, were unable to get rest until their child was patched up and told he would recover. That wasn't too long ago. I think they are just too wired to sleep."

Dee and Ryo shared a look which even Smith was able to interpret. "Go on," he said. "Go check in on the Hollenswogs and whatever else you feel you need to be doing. Whenever you're done, come to my office. Tell your squads involved I want full reports by end of day, unless something else comes up that requires their attention. I already told the other divisions under me the same."

"Chief, I would like my teams to have some downtime during the day," Dee requested. "At least the ones who have been called in and been up all night."

The Chief grumped as he folded his beefy arms. "I suppose you can. Fine. You're right. We can't have exhausted people out on a mission, I suppose."

Dee shrugged and leaned back in his chair behind his large wooden desk. "I'm sure the big bosses won't mind reports coming in a day or two after," he said. "Besides, I want to go over all the reports before they are sent off to headquarters."

"I suppose you're going to want to help him, MacLean?" Smith asked.

Ryo nodded his head. "Yes. I do."

"You know Rose will be wanting something by end of today," Smith pointed out.

Dee indicated the folders with files and this computer. "I think Rose needs to be satisfied with everything that already came in and will continue to until all teams are in."

"I think you're right, but you know he'll feel otherwise," Ryo said.

"Then Chief can tell Rose to go take it to the Directors," Dee replied. "If you don't want to, then I will. After Ryo and I are done running around here."

"Chief, is Director Rose in yet?"

Smith made a dismissive gesture with his hand. "It doesn't directly involve him, so what do you think? He's most likely still getting his beauty rest so he can look good when he speaks to the Lord Mayor later today."

"He'll have more than enough to fill in the Lord Mayor with," Dee remarked. "Meanwhile Ianto and Jack will gladly accept the complete reports whenever we give them after everyone has some well-deserved rest."

"Rose never worked on a squad that can be on call 24/7," Smith stated. "He has no idea. I doubt he ever will, even if he likes to stick his nose in places it doesn't belong and try to get his hands dirty."

Dee laughed, throwing his head back. "He might have gotten his hands dusty, but that's it. I'd like to offer him a taste of what we really go through, but I know just what a pain in the ass he'll be getting in the way of operations."

Ryo chuckled as he nodded his head. "I have to agree with that, Dee. Best let him play with his toys at the top and leave the real work to us."

Dee grinned at Ryo. "I really do believe you've finally got the hang of this." He winked and then leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk surface. "Besides, it would put him in close proximity of you for a full shift or more and that just ain't gonna happen."

"Listen you two," Smith said seriously. "I know you have the Directors looking after you, but they do leave our time for a while and you need to be careful because that's when Rose would strike. He did it before, which is how we ended up with him in charge of Torchwood New York."

"Yeah, I know," Dee replied. "But I'm still not going to let him push me around because he still wants to get into Ryo's pants. And Ryo has gotten very good of not letting Rose make all his not so smooth moves."

Ryo let out a snort.

"What?"

"Just what you said about no so smooth moves," Ryo said. "You're lucky that I actually was attracted to you during those first years, even if I couldn't admit it to myself then."

Smith let out a guffaw. "I only saw a little of that, and I do have to agree with that."

"At least I wasn't so greasy as he can be," Dee protested as Smith stood up.

"Do whatever you need to do with your men and women, Laytner, but sometime later this morning let me know what that will be. Even if you call from home."

Dee was still frowning over the last comments made about when he was chasing after Ryo and did not reply.

"If he doesn't, then I will, sir," Ryo called out.

"Thank you, MacLean."


End file.
